What's Really Good?

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth.-Psalm 115:1

I cannot brag about my righteousness. I cannot say, “I have done so well,” and “I am so good.” In and of myself I cannot produce such things; this would leave room for pride, selfishness and hypocrisy. It would have me lifting myself up above others, excusing my own sin, ultimately bringing about self-sufficiency, making me my own “god” (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Corinthians 1:29-31).

My “goodness” and “righteousness” alone is but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). They are tainted with the aforementioned, human tendencies. My self-sacrifice isn’t good enough. Apart from Him I can do nothing (John 15). Just ask someone, “Why did you help that widow with her rent?” or “Why did you give to the poor?” Their answer is almost always the same, “Because it makes me feel good to do something for someone else.” Now this may not seem like a terrible reason, and God’s not knocking good deeds, but the truth of the matter is, God is looking upon the heart. The heart without Him, seeks its own. And in this case, the person was doing it for selfish reasons; to make themselves feel good, thus nullifying the sacrifice, because it wasn’t done unto the Lord.

What or Whom then makes one righteous and good? It is Christ who lives within the believer. It is He who works righteousness, truth and justice, through the power of His Holy Spirit, for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose and His glory (Romans 8:28-29). I can boast in Christ but not in myself (Romans 15:17). This is why I am quick to offer up the praise and glory due to God alone, when someone gives me any kind of accolade. Now I am not saying affirmation and encouragement is not welcomed, rather I know who to give the credit to.

Before He came into my life, I was helpless and hopeless against my sin and the consequences of it. I was constantly trying to patch up my wounds with the same “so-called remedies” causing further damage and hindering the healing process. I was stuck in a cycle of insanity, desperate for answers, peace, fulfillment and happiness. When I responded to His spiritual “tugging” and made the decision to leave it all to go boldly forward with Christ, this was the pivotal moment in my life. This is when real change started taking place, but it wasn’t easy, and honestly still isn’t easy, but of course, I do not walk alone. He flipped the tables over and uprooted so much sin and damage, that it has made it possible to do what He requires of me, and to bear His light. I am not perfect at it, but His work in me is in the process of being perfected, by His perfect hand (Psalm 138:8, Philippians 1:6). He saved me from myself and from the enemy of my soul, giving me the freedom to walk it out and worship Him with my life. Christ is the only Bridge between sinful humanity and our holy God. We must come through Him, to bridge the gap in our estranged relationship with God, and receive son ship and eternal life into His kingdom.

For 18 years of my life, I knew Jesus as my Savior but not as well as my Lord. What does that mean, you say? It means that I accepted His gift of salvation, but I did not surrender to Him, making Him Lord over everything in my life. We cannot effectively change, move forward and be pleasing to God unless He is both. It means sacrifice. It means commitment. It means dying to ourselves every day. It means trusting Him in our darkest hour, when things make no absolute sense, doing the right things on purpose, when the solutions and answers evade us. This is a big deal. It is the most important decision we will ever make in our lifetime; to follow or not to follow Him, forsaking all other competing loyalties. But understand that the benefits far outweigh the sacrifice. It is the right choice, even when it hurts.

Walking the walk of faith has required me to do things the unconventional way. I’ve had to love people I didn’t feel like loving. I’ve had to forgive and make peace with people I did not feel like forgiving and being peaceful with. I’ve had to wait it out for God’s timing, doing what He said to do, instead of what I felt like doing. But in doing so, I have been blown away by what God has done with my obedience to Him!

It is obvious that we do not think and operate this way as human beings. We are still in the “eye for an eye” mind-set, apart from Him. When He tells us to “love our enemies” and “bless those that curse us,” He is revealing His secret weapons of warfare. He is showing us the way of the warrior and the champion. Sure it messes with our pride and makes us feel like we’d be wimping out, but think about it: How much strength does it take to react when someone provokes you to anger? And then think about how much strength it takes to react the godly way, HIS way, when someone offends you? Remember, love conquers all. You may suffer for a moment to allow Him to work, but He is saving you from a lifetime of pain and in the end, you get the victory. His way is the only “winning team” there is, no matter what it “seems” to be at the time.

God knows our sense of trust is mangled at best. And even though He does not have to prove Himself to us, He does so anyway because He loves us, and desires an intimate relationship with us. Through an obedient walk, God stretches our faith, and shakes the foundations of the things we put our trust in, proving that He is the only one that is our firm foundation that will not break from under us, that will never leave us or abandon us. He is the Rock of our salvation (Matthew 7:24-27).

Indeed, it is a process that takes time, but you have to be willing to put in the work and walk it out with whatever little faith you have in order for Him to give the increase, and the access to His power in your life.  His ways truly bring about the best outcome that brings His peace of mind, that this world can never bring, and prosperity in all we do. Now that does not mean we all become rich with money, but rather rich with kingdom treasures, things this world could never manifest or offer. There is a vast difference in the value of the two. One would have to behold it to understand it and in time if you continue to press in and press through, you indeed will know Him, understand His will for your life, and will behold the treasures of His kingdom, according to His riches in glory.

Christ paid a debt He did not owe, our sin, on the cross, so that we could be free from the chains that hold us bound, keeping us from being able to rise and walk uprightly. Only He is able to do this. And in the words of my dear friend, I say, “Can’t nobody do it, like Jesus do it!” To GOD alone be the glory, the credit, the fame, the kudos, the praise, forever and ever, Amen!

·         Do you know Christ as Savior? How about Savior and Lord of your life?

·         Do you think that you are going to heaven because you are a “good person?”

·         Do you understand that no one is good apart from Him? (Mark 10:18, Romans 3:10-12, Luke 18:18-19)

·         Do you struggle with the idea of surrendering all to follow Him? If so, why not start out small and see what God does with just a few things? If you are a believer, is there an area that you are struggling with that you need to surrender over to Him?

Pray to the Lord, asking Him to reveal what it is He would like you to surrender, and when you receive the revelation, do it and give the consequences to Him. He will give you all you need to let it all go. You will see Him move in a way you never thought possible; only believe. See for yourself.

Some things to consider surrendering: anger, jealousy, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, lust, greed. More specific: addictions, adultery, negative thoughts, pornography, gossip, impatience, lying, swearing, etc.

What Are We Holding On To?

It seems as though, apart from Christ, everything I've touched and hoped for, has been elusive. It is as though I've trekked so very far, for so very long, I finally get to what I think is my destination, it is within my grasp...then it turns to dust. I am then left empty, worn, and discouraged...and I no longer see the hope or the point in my relentless pursuit of happiness. It's like seeing an oasis in the midst of the dry, unmerciful desert, yet it is only an illusion due to your immense desire to satisfy your thirst.

We fail to see reality, when we are focused on the immediate desire. We fail to see the entire picture and perhaps even a more feasible means for coping and surviving. We are powerless against the unkind surprises of life. And we will continue to become despairing as long as we fight alone...apart from the clarity, provision, and enlightenment of God through Christ. We'll keep trekking the merciless desert, in a circle of insanity, grasping for the same things, with the same disappointing, unfulfilling results. Sound familiar? Yeah, and it’s been happening for thousands of years. Think of the Israelites and their trek in the wilderness for 40 years, when it was only an 11 day trip!

 The only sure thing I can hold onto, the only thing I know that is Rock-solid, is Christ. Everything else...like grains of sand...has slipped through my hands... and has ceased to be. What a waste of precious time. What a waste of life and purpose.

 My focus must always be on Jesus Christ, because I become desperate in hunger and thirst and for a salve for my pain. And nothing in this hell-hole of a world can save me or attend to my deepest needs. In fact, my choices have always added to the mayhem and made it unbearable. Outside of His love and presence we will always be looking for ways to cope.  Yes we have human needs and God knows all about them. But we don’t know exactly what we need. We THINK we do, but we don’t. All we have to do is take a look back at our track records. When we place everything into the hands of the One who KNOWS  all and IS all, we get all that we need and more, just not always in the form we expect it to be in. That’s just it! Satan always makes us think, that God is not sufficient that He is not faithful and that He can’t give us what we long for. He’s always waiting there with an alternate answer, one that goes against the very grain of who God is and the Truth that sets us free. And when we accept his suggestion over God’s we get the opposite of freedom. That’s right, we get chains and we become entangled in our circumstances. The enemy of our souls tells us that God is restricting and withholds our freedom to do what we want and what we feel. But you see, that is an obvious deception. Because if you KNOW GOD you KNOW that is NOT who He is or HOW He operates. God is ALL about freedom and has given us specific instructions on how to receive it and retain it. It’s just that it doesn’t normally comply with our understanding of what that means. That is why Proverbs tells us to NOT to lean on our own understanding  but to TRUST in GOD alone (Proverbs 3:5-7). 

God is always faithful to answer us and to guide us in His perfect timing. He is the one that set the universe in place and He is the one that determines its course. I think we can feel more than confident in placing our lives in His hands and let Him navigate the course. It is only when we become prideful and arrogantly self-efficient that we end up in confusion, pain and suffering.

The whole book of Ecclesiastes was about Solomon’s retrospective view of his life, how he lived it, and what he should have and should not have done. Solomon had women, riches, power, fame, wisdom, EVERYTHING you could think of, and his conclusion was that it was all foolishness. He wrote it under the direction and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in hopes of us not making the same mistakes. It’s not wrong to desire things, but when we pursue pleasures, things and people INSTEAD of God, that’s idol worship and those things cannot completely satisfy us or save us from the hell of this life or the next. 

I think of a part from the movie “Constantine” when the priest is under a great illusion from the devil, as he was a recovering alcoholic, and he walks into a liquor store, and grabs all these bottles of alcohol, and as he tries to consume them, it has already consumed him. The bottles all seemed to be empty, but in reality, he was intoxicating himself to the point of death. It’s deep and thought provoking.  I hate when I long for certain things because I know it’s needless compared to knowing Christ. Even Paul said that he counted everything he ever lost or gave up as “dung” yes, “CRAP” compared to the excellence of knowing Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:8). And until you do, you never even realize that you are satisfied with CRAP!  

Let’s face it; we’ve all been lied to; every…single…one of us. Thankfully we have Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to see things as they really are. And yeah, the process of first understanding that you’ve been duped is not always easy to swallow, but you get mad enough to want to do what’s right. I know I’ve taken a beating over the years, because I kept “drinking” from those supposed “empty bottles” and all the while I was really filling myself up with deadly, toxic things. It was insatiable and I went wherever my emotions and desires took me, with the exception of some moralistic decisions, and somewhat self-restraint. But mostly, yes, I was a slave to the master of sin and it wreaked hell and havoc on my mind, body, spirit and soul. I mean, did I really think the ruler of evil would produce for me heavenly/godly results?! Unfortunately, yes. And yes, I was foolish and ignorant to think so. You reap what you sow. (Galatians 6:8)

BUT GOD saved this wretch and I am a changed woman today, ya’ll. BELIEVE IT! Because I am sayin’….there is a reason that I never want to resurrect the “old me” and what she stood for. That woman was dead, lost, and without hope.

Today I stand tall, strong and firm, no longer in the fetal position of pain. I have greater strength, clarity, wisdom, understanding, insight, and I am healed, I am delivered, and I know how to truly love today, and receive love, by the grace of my awesome, loving God. He has changed this heart of mine and my life. Today, I am able to help others and minister to others in ways I NEVER thought possible. My mess is now my message and God is in the business of recycling! Hallelujah!  

What is it that you keep reaching for that you just can’t touch? That you can’t hold onto long enough? Is it peace? Is it sobriety? Is it security? Is it self-acceptance? Is it love? All those things and more are not found in whatever you’ve been diving into, my dear friends. It is only found in Jesus Christ. You don’t have to believe me, but the truth speaks for itself, as it has in my own life, a living testimony to His greatness. You’ve been looking in all of the wrong places. That is why you keep getting the same undesirable results.  So why don’t you respond to His gift of Salvation, an invitation to come as you are and never leave the same? You’ve done tried everything else, right? I can’t make you take the “medicine” that is going to heal you, brothers and sisters; I can only tell you where to go and get it.

 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: (Ephesians 1:17)

Jesus answered, “It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of. (Matthew 4:4)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
(Luke 21:33)
(Matthew 24:35)
(Mark 13:31)